Occupation and Background: Mason was born in 1725 and lived with his family on a Fairfax County Plantation. At age 21 he inherited 20,000 acres of land spread across several counties in Virginia and Maryland. In 1750 he married 16 year old Ann Eilbeck and had nine children with her. He was a judge, statesman, and member of the Virginia Legislature (though he reluctantly joined). In 1776, Mason represented Fairfax County at the Virginia Convention and was appointed to draft a Declaration of Rights for their constitution. This document served as a model for Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence and was the basis for the federal Constitution's Bill of Rights.
Constitutional Convention: George Mason attended the convention and was one of the five most frequent speakers. He expressed his distress over the amount of power being give to the federal government and so proposed an executive committee of three people instead of one. He believed that an executive of only one person would cause the government to degenerate into a Monarchy. He exerted great influence, but during the last two weeks decide not to sign the document.
State Ratifying Convention: Elected to the Virginia Ratifying Convention. He joined Patrick Henry in the fight against ratification. He thought that the three branches were given too much power and that the document should be changed as to protect the people's rights. Eventually Virginia approved of the Constitution due to James Madison promising a list of amendments that would be introduced later.
Arguments For or Against Ratification: Mason did not sign the constitution for a number of reasons. He explained them at length, citing the absence of a Declaration of Rights as his primary concern. He criticized the House of Representatives by claiming that it did not truly represent the nation and Senate as too powerful. He believed that the power of the federal judiciary would destroy the state judiciaries, render justice unattainable, and allow the rich to oppress the poor. He also did not like the Convention's unwillingness to abolish the slave trade. As mentioned earlier, Mason wanted an executive of three persons rather than of one. He believed that three men would bring a more perfect and extensive knowledge of the real interests of the nation into office. Specifically, he wanted one person from each section of the country (North, Middle, South). These concerns made Mason one of the three who refused to sign the new consitution.
References: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and James Madison. Though Madison was a federalist, Mason was generally supportive of his wishes for a stronger national government. He just had a different approach to the way it should be set up.
"George Mason Writings and Biography." L E X R E X: Rescuing the REPUBLIC - One Heart, and One Mind at a time. 20 Sep. 2009 http://www.lexrex.com/bios/gmason.htm.
Position: Anti-Federalist
State: Virginia
Occupation and Background: Mason was born in 1725 and lived with his family on a Fairfax County Plantation. At age 21 he inherited 20,000 acres of land spread across several counties in Virginia and Maryland. In 1750 he married 16 year old Ann Eilbeck and had nine children with her. He was a judge, statesman, and member of the Virginia Legislature (though he reluctantly joined). In 1776, Mason represented Fairfax County at the Virginia Convention and was appointed to draft a Declaration of Rights for their constitution. This document served as a model for Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence and was the basis for the federal Constitution's Bill of Rights.
Constitutional Convention: George Mason attended the convention and was one of the five most frequent speakers. He expressed his distress over the amount of power being give to the federal government and so proposed an executive committee of three people instead of one. He believed that an executive of only one person would cause the government to degenerate into a Monarchy. He exerted great influence, but during the last two weeks decide not to sign the document.
State Ratifying Convention: Elected to the Virginia Ratifying Convention. He joined Patrick Henry in the fight against ratification. He thought that the three branches were given too much power and that the document should be changed as to protect the people's rights. Eventually Virginia approved of the Constitution due to James Madison promising a list of amendments that would be introduced later.
Arguments For or Against Ratification: Mason did not sign the constitution for a number of reasons. He explained them at length, citing the absence of a Declaration of Rights as his primary concern. He criticized the House of Representatives by claiming that it did not truly represent the nation and Senate as too powerful. He believed that the power of the federal judiciary would destroy the state judiciaries, render justice unattainable, and allow the rich to oppress the poor. He also did not like the Convention's unwillingness to abolish the slave trade. As mentioned earlier, Mason wanted an executive of three persons rather than of one. He believed that three men would bring a more perfect and extensive knowledge of the real interests of the nation into office. Specifically, he wanted one person from each section of the country (North, Middle, South). These concerns made Mason one of the three who refused to sign the new consitution.
References: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and James Madison. Though Madison was a federalist, Mason was generally supportive of his wishes for a stronger national government. He just had a different approach to the way it should be set up.
Bibliography:
"GEORGE MASON." Welcome to Gunston Hall. 20 Sep. 2009 <http://gunstonhall.org/georgemason/>.
"George Mason Writings and Biography." L E X R E X: Rescuing the REPUBLIC - One Heart, and One Mind at a time. 20 Sep. 2009 http://www.lexrex.com/bios/gmason.htm.
"George Mason." The Bill of Rights Institute. 20 Sep. 2009 www.billofrightsinstitute.org/pdf/sampleunits/gmason.pdf.
*Robert, Rutland. The Papers of George Mason, 1725-1792. Greensboro, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1970.